Glass-lifting device



June 20, 1944. A, COHEN 2,351,666

GLASS-LIFTING DEVICE Filed Feb. l2, 1944 www Lafln Y; lior'w.

Patented June 20, 1944 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLASS-IJFTING DEVICE Abraham L. Cohen, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application February 12, 1944, Serial No. 522,055

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for aiding in lifting and carrying panes or sheets of glass and similar smooth-surfaced articles or materials, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of this character which can be easily attached to and removed from the surface of the articles to be carried; which will tenaciously attach itself to said surface by suction and permit the carrying of articles of very substantial weight and size without loosening its grip thereon.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the employment, of a relatively thick, normally ilat, disk of soft rubber or similar material, over which a rigid, cup-shaped member of less diameter than the disk, extends; the rubber disk having an embedded flat stiff circular plate carrying a stem extending through the cup and provided with a pivoted cam lever operative to force the cup toward the disk and cause the plate to form the disk into cupped shape so that a firm and secure adherence of the disk to a sheet of glass by suction, will result, enabling the glass or other smooth-surfaced material to be easily handled, lifted and carried.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an embodiment of the invention is shown, Fig. l is a side elevation of a glass-lifting device constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional vew on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and with the device shown in its operative or attached position.

With reference to the drawing, I indicates a circular section or disk of thick, soft rubber or other similar material such as articial rubber or the like. The disk I is normally flat and may, if desired, be composed of a number of intimately united laminations, between which is located a smaller circular disk or plate 2, said plate being preferably of metal or other stiff and rigid material. The plate 2 is normally fiat and remains rso during the operation of the device, and it is of suicient stiiiness and rigidity to flex the rubber disk I into cupped formation, as hereafter described.

'I'he rubbervdisk I, if not composed of two or more united layers as heretofore explained, may be moulded around the plate 2 with the stem 3 rigidly attached to the plate 2 extending out of the rubber disk I.

At 4 is shown a cup-shaped member, which is preferably a metal stamping. Said cup 4 is of less diameter than the rubber disk I and of greater diameter than the circular plate 2. The cup 4 is stitened about its peripheral edge by the inturned ange I4 which presents a ilat, annular face against the rubber disk near the periphery of said disk. Secured over the top 1 of the cup 4 is a cap member 5, which is rmly attached tothe cup 4 by the bolts 6 or by any other suitable material, so that the cap member becomes in effect a part of the cup 4. Ii desired, the cap member 5 and the cup 4 may be fabricated from a single piece of metal.

The cup 4 and the cap 5 are both ce :trally apertured to permit the free passage of the stem 3. The outer portion of the stem 3 extending beyond the cap 5 has a pivot pin II on which is pivoted a cam lever 9, operative as hereafter described. The cam lever 9 is biiurcated at I0 to provide two end portions straddling the stem 3, the pivot pin II extending through the stem 3 and through said end portions. Each of said end portions is formed with a cam surface I2 operative against a plate or washer I1 located on top of the cap 5, to thereby depress the cup 4 or raise the plate 2. A coil spring 8, surrounding the stem 3 and located between the top plate 1 of the cup 4 and the upper face of the rubber disk I, normally serves to keep the cup 4 and the disk I slightly separated when the cam lever 9 is in an inoperative position as shown in Fig. 1, thus also keeping the rubber disk I in a iiat and unilexed condition.

The inoperative position of the device is shown in Fig. 1, wherein it will be observed that the cam lever 9 has its cam surfaces I2 located away from the top of the cap 5. At this time the disk I is perfectly at, the coil spring 8 acting to hold the cup 4 loosely against the rubber disk I without the imposition of pressure thereon. To apply the device to the smooth surface of a sheet of glass or other smooth-faced article to be lifted and carried, it is placed with the exposed face of the rubber disk I against the glass while the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1. The cam lever 9 is then manually swung to the left and to the limit of its movement in that direction and to the position shown in Fig. 3. During this arcuate movement of the lever 9, the cam surfaces I2 exert downward pressure on the plate I'I to force the cup 4 rmly down on the rubber disk I, and elevate the stem 3 and attached plate 2. The effect of such elevating movement of the plate 2 is to form the rubber disk I into the cupped shape shown in Fig. 3, thus creating a vacuum -cup which adheres with great tenacity to the surface of the glass, and which will sucaesinet tionally adhere thereto indenitely until freed from such engagement by the cam lever being swung back into the inoperative position of Fig. l. When the pressure of the cam surfaces on the cap is released, the coil spring 8 becomes eiiective to separate the parts i and Il and permit the rubber disk i to atten out. It will thus be apparent that the device may be quickly at tached to a surfaee by merely placing it against the same and moving the pivoted cam lever 9 in the manner described. A bail i5, pivotally attached to the cap 5, and provided with a handie part it, permits easy lifting and transportation of the glass to which the device is attached.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to berestricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope oi the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device of the character described comprising, a soft and ilexible rubber disk of substantial thickness and normally fiat, a sti circular plate of less diameter than the disk interposed in the body of the disk and coveredl and concealed by the material of the body of the disk, said plate having a central projecting stem, a still.' cup of less diameter than the rubber disk and of greater diameter than the plate, ex-

tending over the disk, said cup having a cen- 2. A device of the character described com-l prising, a normally at rubber disk, a circular stil! plate embedded in the disk, a relatively shallow stift cup of less diameter than the disk tached to the cap.

extending over the disk, said cup having an inturned marginal edge portion presenting an annular, at surface in contact with the top face of the disk near the edge oi the disk, the cup having a central raised part, a cap tted over said raised part and attached thereto, said cap having an end wall spaced from the top oi the raised part, a stem in the form of a round rod rigidly attached to the plate, said raised part of the cup and the cap having aligned openings through which the stem extends, a cam lever pivoted on the stem on the outside oi the cap and operative against the end of the cap to force the cup toward the disk and to orm the disk into cupped shape, the cap being provided with diametrically opposite apertures communicating with the space between the end wall of the cap and the end of the raised part of the cup, and a bail-type handle having inturned ends entering into said apertures.

' 3. A device of the character described comprising, a normally at rubber disk, a circular stifiI plate embedded in the disk, a shallow sti!! cup of less diameter than the disk and of greater diameter than the plate, extending over the disk, said cup having a marginal inturned edge to thereby present a dat annular surface against the disk near its peripheral edge, the cup being provided with a central, upstanding cylindrical raised portion having a at top, a cap tted over said cylindrical raised portion, said cap having an end wall spaced away from the top of the cylindrical raised part, fastening means extending through the end wall of the cap and through the top of the cylindrical raised portion for securing the cap in place, the end wall of the4 cap and the dat top of the raised portion having aligned openings, a stem on the embedded plate projecting through said openings, a spring between the cup and the disk, and cam means pivotally attached to the stem on the outside of the cup for forcing the cup toward the rubber disk and for forming the disk into cup-shape, and a handle pivotally at- ABRAHAM L. COHEN. 

